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One of life’s great mysteries is what’s better free weights or machines? Aaron Marino of alpha m. says there’s not a simple answer because each has pros and cons. Alpha would go free weights all day long because of exercise flexibility and range of motion. However, he does incorporate machines into all of his workouts. Here’s his alpha m. insight:
Free Weights
- Pro – use of stabilizer muscles
- Pro – range of motion
- Pro – million free weight exercises
- Con – higher degree of injury for inexperienced
Machines
- Pro – machines have diagrams / pictures about muscles worked and how to perform
- Pro – focus and isolate a muscle
- Pro – hammer strength
- Con – less risk of injury
Hammer Strength Alternative
- You are locked into a machine but you load the plates yourself
- You can lift a lot of weight because you don’t have bar
- You can drive and focus on a muscle like a machine
- No stabilization like with free weights
In conclusion, Alpha thinks any exercise program needs to be well rounded. Any one person that says that any one thing is the best or the only thing doesn’t know what the hell they’re talking about. It doesn’t matter what you do as long as you are doing something, you’re doing it right.
